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A word on the treatment of clover may not be out of place. 

 Belonging to that group of plants that possess the quality of bring- 

 ing down valuable nitrogen to the soil, clover does not require so 

 much nitrogenous manure as many crops. On the other hand, the 

 mineral elements, phosphoric acid and especially potash, are par- 

 ticularly beneficial to clovers. I have observed repeatedly that 

 the application of wood ashes or muriate of potash to grass lands 

 serves to increase the proportion of clover. This fact should be 

 borne in mind when seeding down, and manures containing pre- 

 ponderance of potash used when clover is desired. The oft- 

 repeated statement that this crop benefits the land will bear 

 repeating and emphasizing. Both directly by the nitrogen it 

 leaves in the soil and indirectly by what it adds after being fed to 

 farm animals, clover serves to increase the fertility of the farm. 

 Dairymen should grow and feed as much clover as possible. 



Grass. — As a convenience, grass may be fed to cows during 

 haying time, either green, half dry or as new hay. It is at this 

 season, and from seed time up to this season that labor is in de- 

 mand on the farm, and that the greatest difficulties to the soiling 

 system present themselves. If the pastures will take care of the 

 dairy cows until haying is done, there is usually leisure to provide 

 for them afterwards. While haying is in progress, a ration from 

 the newly cut grass may be fed with little extra labor and it will 

 be relished and well paid for by cows coming in from pastures 

 already beginning to produce less bountifully. 



Oats. — Following the hay crop, and the first crop of the sea- 

 son's sowing, oats form a valuable supplement to pasturage dur- 

 ing the early part of July. They are relished by all classes of 

 stock, are nutritious, succulent and have a very beneficial effect 

 on milk production. 



If peas or vetch are sown with the oats, an increased value is 

 obtained by reason of the larger percentage of protein in the crop 

 and the enrichment of the land in nitrogen, peas and vetch having 

 the same effect as clover. I would recommend for forage purposes 

 the sowing of three pecks to a bushel of vetch per acre on moist 

 land with oats, and a bushel or a bushel and a half of peas on 

 dryer land. 



The oat crop requires liberal manuring and likes nitrogenous 

 manures particularly, but owing to its growth-habits fresh applica- 

 tion of green manure is not likely to prove as beneficial to it as to 

 succeeding crops. Manure should be well rotted for oats, or per- 

 haps, better yet, applied the preceding autumn. This method 

 allows the nitrogen to become available, which is not the case to so 

 great an extent if green manure is used when the seed is sown. 



